BENJAMIN: Son of the Right Hand (Part Two) ...continuation of Part One LETS QUICKLY STUDY THE LIFE OF TWO BENJAMITES 1. KING SAUL>> As was the custom of the time, when Jacob was about to die, he blessed each of his children. To Benjamin he said: Benjamin is a ravenous wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil (Genesis 49:27). Historically, Benjamin was the smallest and weakest of the twelve tribes of Israel. This was due to a war Benjamin fought against the other eleven tribes, in which Benjamin was virtually annihilated (Judges 19-21). Despite this, God made good use of this weakest of peoples—an object lesson for us as Christians (I Corinthians 1:27). Israels first king, Saul—a tall, strong, regal-looking man—was a Benjamite. His reign began well: And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me? (I Samuel 9:21). God even gave him another heart so that he prophesied with the prophets (I Samuel 10:9-10). He was so humble that, on the most important day of his life—at Mizpah where all Israel was gathered to proclaim him king, he hid himself among the baggage (I Samuel 10:21-24)! The people were so impressed that they shouted and said, Long live the king! But Saul sinned. The sad tale is found in I Samuel 15:19-21: [Samuel asked,] Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel, But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal. Like all sinners, Saul had his excuses. How well we understand that! Nevertheless, as with all sin, a price had to be paid for disobeying God: Sauls kingdom was taken from Him. What was Sauls reaction? He attempted to kill the man God appointed to replace him! I Samuel 18:10-11, 28-29: So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Sauls hand. And Saul cast the spear, for he said, I will pin David to the wall with it. But David escaped his presence twice. . . . Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, . . . and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became Davids enemy continually. I Samuel 19:10: Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with his spear, but he slipped away from Sauls presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night. Saul became as ravenous as a wolf, trying to devour his prey and to divide his spoil. He was so depraved that he sought to kill his own son, Jonathan, for his loyalty to David (I Samuel 20:30-34)! ***************** 2. PAUL>> Moses penned a second prophecy concerning Benjamin in Deuteronomy 33:12: Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him, who shelters him all the day long; and he shall dwell between His shoulders. Philippians 3:5-6 introduces another son of Benjamin: . . . circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. This is, of course, the apostle Paul as he described himself and his qualifications. We find some of Pauls history in Acts 8:1, 3: Now Saul [as he was known then] was consenting to his [Stephens] death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. . . . As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison. Later, in Acts 9:1-2: Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Yet, a strange thing happened to Saul on his way to Damascus. He met Jesus! And as he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? And he said, Who are You, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads. (verses 3-5) And what were the results? Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests? But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. (verses 20-22) Paul was a ravening wolf rending his prey, the church, and devouring and dividing the spoils of it, but Jesus Christ entering his life changed him forever. Like the prophecy of Benjamin, he became the beloved of the Lord, one who was covered by Him and made to dwell safely between His shoulders. Christians are much like Benjamin. We have a heavenly Father, like Jacob, who seeks to protect us and keep us close to Him. We also have a heavenly Elder Brother, like Joseph, who has suffered for us and gone ahead to prepare for our deliverance. Like King Saul, we also have been as ravenous wolves trying to devour our prey and take spoils. And like Paul, we have met Jesus Christ and been changed by the encounter. Now we are striving to be worthy of the title the beloved of the Lord, and we pray for the safety available only between His shoulders. Except for Gods love, we might have been Ben-Oni, son of sorrows, but our heavenly Father has reserved for us another name, Son of His Right Hand. ARE YOU PROUD TO BE CALLED SORH --- THE SON OF HIS RIGHT HAND? facebook/sorhand
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 05:21:17 +0000
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